5 Summer Olympic Storylines To Follow
Kon'nichiwa world.
This week marks one year until the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo. They’re already off to a better start than Rio (although that’s probably no surprise to anyone) and there are new athletes and events in the spotlight.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year,
The Last Night’s Game Team
1. Baseball and softball are on the dance card for the first time in 12 years. A women’s softball game will be the first event of the 2020 Olympics. It’s being held two days before the Opening Ceremony and will be played in Fukushima, the site of the 2011 nuclear plant meltdowns. YOU GLOW GIRL HAS A WHOLE NEW MEANING
2. Karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will make their Olympic debuts. Hopes are that by adding these sports, more millennials fall in love with the Olympics. That being said, don't count out the “old” guys. There’s talk that 47-year-old surfing icon Kelly Slater might make a run at the inaugural event in Tokyo. NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S GAMES
3. Some of your favorite Americans are expected to return to Tokyo. The U.S. women soccer team is eyeing their first World Cup-Olympic back-to-back championships, Simone Biles will be the veteran on the gymnastics team, the “Flying Tomato” Shaun White could swap a snowboard for a skateboard and the queen of U.S. track, Allyson Felix, is on her journey back after an emergency C-section in November sidelined her. HI OLD FRIEND
4. Sponsors are clearly excited about the games with $3 billion already spent on domestic sponsorships, a record three times more than any other Summer Olympics. Mother Earth is excited too because the medals will all be made out of recycled gadgets, i.e. that old cell phone. SPIRIT FINGERS
5. Two storylines that are sure to be part of the conversation leading up to the games include the rules put into place by the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) that limits the ability of certain athletes with high levels of testosterone to compete as women. Enter South African runner Caster Semenya, who claims the IAAF used her as a guinea pig to see how regulating her testosterone levels via medication affected her performance on the track. Then there’s New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard, who could become the first openly transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics. Hubbard, who formerly competed as Gavin Hubbard, began transitioning six years ago and has been taking the weightlifting world by storm. THE CENTER OF DISCUSSION
Wednesday Wisdom
Let’s talk shop with the top three biggest stories in sports today including who is getting a little cosmetic work done, why we'll never be able to afford a sports team and proof men drive women to drink? READ
The Top 5 Oscar Winning Sports Movies
Hollywood takes the red carpet this weekend for the Academy Awards. What does this have to do with sports you ask? Well for one, Kobe Bryant is nominated for an Oscar. That and unlike most of the Oscar nominated movies, these are ones you’ve actually seen.
Hollywood takes the red carpet this weekend for the Academy Awards. What does this have to do with sports you ask? Well for one, Kobe Bryant is nominated for an Oscar. That and unlike most of the Oscar nominated movies, these are ones you’ve actually seen.
Pass the popcorn,
The Last Night’s Game
The Top 5 Oscar Winning Sports Movies(in no particular order)
Chariots of Fire (1981) In a class-focused, divided society, two runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. The movie is probably best known for its Oscar winning original music score.
The Blind Side (2009) Sandra Bullock took home her first Oscar for her role as a pushy mom who takes in a homeless teen and helps to harness his talents to turn him into a football powerhouse. Based on a true story, the real Michael Oher became a college football sensation and an NFL (National Football League) player.
Rocky (1976) We all remember the iconic line of “Yo Adrian” and Sylvester Stallone’s run up the steps, but while the actors and their lines are what we remember, the movie took home the Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing awards. A big fat TKO for Rocky and Adrian.
Jerry Maguire (1996) Tom Cruise may have yelled “show me the money” in a story about a sports agent down on his luck but Cuba Gooding Jr. showed them how it was done as he received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Oscar, you complete me.
Million Dollar Baby (2004) This movie about a middle-class female boxer who forges a life changing bond with her trainer is tied for the most celebrated movie on our list. The movie took home Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actress (Hilary Swank), Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). The other flick with four wins? Chariots of Fire.
Honorable mentions of sports films that were nominated but didn’t win: Moneyball, Field of Dreams and Hoosiers.
Intermission break
While you map out your movie marathon, here are the top three things everyone is buzzing about in sports today including which mom is the greatest of all time (besides yours of course), why the claws are coming out in the NFL and what epic thing Ellen is doing to support a group of gold medal winners. READ
We've All Gone Plaid
What do Paul Bunyan, the Yankees and the national anthem all have in common? They’re the hot topics in today’s Weekend Wrap Up Edition.
What do Paul Bunyan, the Yankees and the national anthem all have in common? They’re the hot topics in today’s Weekend Wrap Up Edition.
Plaid is so in this fall,
The Last Night’s Game Team
MLB (Major League Baseball)
Boo York. New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi was booed by the hometown fans after his questionable decision attributed to the team losing game two to the Cleveland Indians in the playoffs. Thankfully the Yankees won the following game, otherwise he might have been swimming with the fishes.
Try to contain your excitement. There are four, yes four, playoff games today. Here’s how you can catch them all.
College Football
Rewarding. College football rivalries have interesting trophies ranging from bells to axes but the Michigan – Michigan State rivalry takes it to a whole new level. When unranked Michigan State beat Michigan (#7) this weekend, they took home the Paul Bunyan trophy, which is a statue of famed lumberjack Paul Bunyan. Babe the blue ox sold separately.
World Cup Soccer
It ain’t over 'til the fat lady sings. In a must-win situation, Team U.S.A. beat Panama to take another step toward their goal of playing in the 2018 World Cup. The team is walking the thin line of not qualifying for next year’s global competition.
Overtime
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the NFL (National Football League) is expanding its outreach to raise awareness for all types of cancers with the "Crucial Catch" campaign. In concert with the American Cancer Society, they have released The Defender, a free digital assessment tool that provides fans with personalized tips on how to reduce their cancer risk.
Sideline stat
The big loss from the weekend that every sports fan will be talking about is the big win by unranked Iowa State over Oklahoma (#3). The loss to an unranked team delivers a huge blow to Oklahoma’s season.
Coaches’ corner
Just as we learned that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones threatened to bench any player that disrespected the flag, Vice President Mike Pence left an NFL game after the anthem saying he "did not want to dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem." Pence, the former governor of Indiana, was on hand for the retirement of Peyton Manning's jersey number by the Indianapolis Colts.
